in the news
- April 17, 2007
Another day, another American gun massacre
Woke up yesterday morning to the breaking news of the killings of 33 students and staff at Virginia Tech University.
Another lunatic gets pissed off with life and is able, because guns are so easily available, to take it out on many innocent people. Its a terrible tragedy for those affected, and no doubt will be made all the more a tragedy because no lessons will be learnt from yet another gun killing spree in the land of the gun. There will undoubtedly be another such murder spree sometime in the not too distant future …why? Because of the stupid perceptions that gun ownership is a sacred right in the USA, which make it all too easy for any nutjob with a grudge to arm themselves to the teeth and take it out on the world.
Incredibly, I have seen much argument in the US media and blogs suggesting that the university’s policy of no-guns on campus was to blame for the tragedy. The argument goes that had students been allowed to legally carry concealed handguns, one of them may have been able to stop the shooter in his tracks. Yeehah …armed students, gunfight at VT Corral. Check this out …its so rabid I sort of think it could be a spoof on ultra-conservative views … if not its very disturbing. Some of the comments here are pretty disturbing too.
But those sort of views are hardly surprising when President Bush’s response was to say he was shocked and saddened by the killings, but then also said he supported the right to bear arms. With such leadership there will be no moves in the US to restrict the availability of guns, from any side of politics … all parties are too shit scared of the power of the NRA and its allies.
We will hear the mantra “guns don’t kill people, people do” and “gun laws mean the people will be defenceless against the criminals who will still have their guns”. Guns do kill people, or at least they make the process of doing so much more efficient. Say today’s killer at VT did not have access to his guns - what damage could he have done with say a knife, or a baseball bat. Yes, it takes a ruthless or deranged person to kill with a gun, but availability of the gun magnifies the lethal impact of that person’s decisions. Yes, determined criminals will still probably have guns …but they are not the people who commit mass killings like today’s. They are committed by lunatics who snap for some reason - making guns harder to acquire and use generally will go a lot of the way towards making it harder for these nuts to do the level of harm they can do with guns.
6 Responses to “Another day, another American gun massacre”
The best way for the U.S. to bregin to eliminate weapons is to stop manufacturing them. $$ or no $$. The US Government obviously places more value on the dollar than on the lives of it’s people.
By Anonymous on Apr 17, 2007
The answer is not to get rid of weapons! Guys like this get a gun. Doesn’t matter if they are illegal or not! What we need is MORE guns! So the students can protect themselves!ht
By Shelley The Republican on Apr 17, 2007
shelly are you for real? guns dont protect people guns just kill people, you dont get self defence bullets. the thing that really does my nut about gun culture in the us is that houndreds of children accidently shoot themselves every year with their parents gun. how and why? what is going on? only good can come from making guns illegal.
By beanie on Apr 18, 2007
A very popular quote is that “one who carries a weapon, will die of weapon”
I am not an american, but still I would only wish to tighten the security checks in places like educational institutions. We have so many methods to assess a student. Assessing mental stability of a student should be a part of these assessments, which should also be done periodically- even in workplaces for that matter.
Since today’s world is a fast world, people become isolated at one point, these people shall be counselled and kept out in vigil if the condition seems to be serious.
If another guy would have also taken the gun, there might be more loss, we cannot rule that out as well..
By Sindhu on Apr 20, 2007
Yes, unfortunately, this is always the same thing. But some people, and let’s face it, the less “intelligent” people, for the lack of a better word, only understand force. For them, you only win with a gun, or fists, brain, they don’t know the meaning of it… There is no way of reasoning with them, they just don’t understand. REASON??? INTELLIGENCE??? JUSTICE??? LIBERTY???
Very sad perspective indeed…
By Martine on Apr 20, 2007
Is Shelley the republican a total nut job or what??
By Baleboosteh on Apr 20, 2007